Lay Family Garden

The Lay Family Garden (formally known as the Lay Ornamental Garden) is a 2.2-acre garden filled with hundreds of perennials and woody plants.

The Lay Family Garden provides guests with a newly interpreted garden at the north end of the Arboretum property. The renovation was made possible by generous gifts from Mimi Lay's two daughters, Susan Lay Atwell and Dorothy Lay, and by additional gifts from the Estate of Ward Lay and Anthony Atwell.

The renovation of the Lay Family Garden required several important considerations, all while keeping the original footprint of the garden. The first step was to address the pathways leading to the garden. The second step was to address the entrances into the garden. Three new entrances now feed into the garden from the Paseo extension linking the Camp House Circle with the Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden. Lastly, the Arboretum preserved the former entry courtyard, but it has now become a pocket garden and more of a destination than a passageway.

One of the most popular features is the native limestone walls with waterfalls cascading from them. Complementing the waterwalls is a new grotto with a 12-foot waterfall directly across from them. The water gardens are also of great interest and include a large lagoon for aquatic plants, a stream with three weirs and a Koi pond.